Professor Jiannong Cao, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 

Talk Title: Rethinking Security and Privacy in the Era of Pervasive Edge Intelligence

Abstract: In this talk, I examine how the growing scale of edge computing deployment and the deep coupling of cyber-physical domains reshape the security landscape, where cyberattacks are no longer confined to cyber spaces but manifest as kinetic physical consequences. I discuss how the integration of AI into edge environments creates persistent vulnerabilities, a challenge further amplified as Large Language Models (LLMs), autonomous agents, and embodied intelligence become embedded in resource-constrained devices. This expansion widens the attack surface across sensing, communication, computation, and actuation layers. I will outline a roadmap for building trustworthy intelligent ecosystems, highlighting critical research directions in resilient edge architectures, privacy-aware intelligence, and cross-layer defense strategies.

Biography: Professor Cao is currently the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing in the Department of Computing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He is also the Vice President (Education) and Director of the Institute for Higher Education Research and Development (IHERD) at PolyU.  He served as Head of the Department of Computing from 2011 to 2017, Dean of the Graduate School, and Head of the College of Undergraduate Researchers and Innovators (CURI) from 2021 to 2025, and the founding director of Research Institute for AIoT and University Research Facility in Big Data Analytics at PolyU. Professor Cao is a member of Academia Europaea, a fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering, a fellow of IEEE, a fellow of the CCF, and a distinguished member of the ACM.  He served as the Chair of the Technical Committee on Distributed Computing of the IEEE Computer Society from 2012 to 2014.  In 2017, he received the Overseas Outstanding Contribution Award from the China Computer Federation.

Professor Stephan Sigg, Aalto University, Finland 

Talk Title: Security, Privacy and Trust for Resource-Constrained Connected Devices 

Abstract: With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), resource-constrained sensing devices are increasingly required to exchange sensitive data for cloud-based model training. Traditional encryption schemes often prove too computationally intensive for edge hardware or fail to provide semantic obfuscation. We discuss diffusion-informed GAN-based generative frameworks designed for secure, low-latency information hiding in constrained IoT environments. Furthermore, the talk will touch on approaches to improve privacy and trust for IoT sensing systems in general. 

Biography: Stephan Sigg is a Professor at Aalto University in the Department of Information and Communications Engineering. With a background in the design, analysis and optimisation of algorithms for distributed and ubiquitous systems, he focuses on sensing systems for environmental perception and Usable (perception-based) Security. Especially, his work covers proactive computing, distributed adaptive beamforming, context-based secure key generation and device-free passive activity recognition. Stephan is an editor for the Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT). He has served on the organizing and technical committees numerous prestigious conferences including IEEE PerCom, ACM Ubicomp, IEEE ICDCS. 

Dr Domenico Scotece, University of Bologna , Italy

Talk Title: From IoT Security to Infrastructure-Native Trust: 5G Core, O-RAN, and SDN as Enablers of Zero-Trust IoT 

Abstract: This talk will present an overview of emerging network infrastructure paradigms that are reshaping how security and trust can be enforced in large-scale IoT systems. We will review key advances in 5G Core Network, open RAN architectures, Edge Computing, and Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Building on these foundations, we will chart the path toward the next-generation networks: security can no longer rely solely on device hardening or application-layer protections; instead, it must be rooted in the design of the underlying programmable network infrastructure. We will discuss how 5G network slicing provides architectural isolation mechanisms that enable the creation of logically separated environments. We will also examine the impact of O-RAN disaggregation on the security landscape. Finally, SDN enables dynamic micro-segmentation and fine-grained traffic control across transport and core domains. By framing IoT security as an infrastructure design challenge, this keynote will highlight research directions and architectural strategies for building programmable, slice-aware, and trust-enabled network infrastructures capable of supporting the next generation of IoT systems .

Biography: Domenico Scotece is an Assistant Professor at the University of Bologna. He received his Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in Computer Science Engineering from the University of Bologna in 2020 and 2014, respectivly. His research interests include pervasive computing, middleware for fog and edge computing, IoT, management of cloud computing systems, Software-defined Networking, O-RAN, 5G and 6G.